The influence of U.S.-based A movement that emerged in the 1970s encompassing a wide swath of conservative Catholicism and Protestant evangelicalism. Learn more groups on the criminalization of A form of heterosexism that devalues and scapegoats gay, lesbian, and bisexual people and people in same-gender relationships. Learn more has recently expanded to Belize, which has become a hotbed for anti-LGBTQ activity, according to new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center: Dangerous Liaisons: The American Often used interchangeably with Christian Right, but also can describe broader conservative religious coalitions that are not limited to Christians. Can include right-wing Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, and members of the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon. Learn more & the Criminalization of Homosexuality in Belize.
The Belize Parliament is now in the throes of a legal battle over the constitutionality of a statute called Section 53, which “punishes same-sex ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’ with 10 years in prison.” The statute was initially challenged by the United Belize Advocacy Movement, founded by the Caleb Orozco and other An umbrella acronym standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. Learn more -rights activists. Orozco’s role in the controversy has put his life at risk, and he currently lives and works out of a fortified office.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a right-wing Christian legal organization based in the United States, is among the major players advocating for upholding the statute, though it has sought to maintain a low profile. The ADF has worked to criminalize homosexuality across the globe, fueling anti-gay An attitude toward social identities that can be mobilized to justify discrimination, state/vigilante violence, and exploitation. Learn more in more than 30 other countries. But until recently, its work in Belize has gone largely unmentioned.
In an interview, Orozco describes the impact of ADF’s activity in Belize: “[The ADF] came down to do some training, and they infused [these anti-gay] ideas. They’re using [anti-LGBTQ sentiment] as a tool to coordinate or organize and mobilize membership.”